Fall-board for pianos.



P. M. ZEIDLER.

FALL BOARD FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1912.

1,050,507, Patented Jan. 14,1913.

PAUL M. ZEIDLER, OF IVIOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

FALL-BOARD r'on PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14,1913.

Application filed June 10, 1912. Serial No. 702,935.

To all whom it may com-cm Be it known that l, PAUL M. Znmnnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of Vestehester and. State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fall-Boai-(ls for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to afiord simple and inexpensive but ettective means whereby a piano-tall-board may be quickly and conveniently advanced or retracted with praetieally little or no frictional resistance; and it consists in the specific construction and arrangement of parts described and claimed, a distinctive feature being .the provision ot a medial controlling guide for maintaining the perfect alinement of the faltboa rd. whereby endbinding is obviated, as hereinafter set 'lorth.

in the aecompauying drawings, Figure l, is a plan oti parts ersentiat to an understanding ot my invention, the fall-board being shown in its forward or elosed position;

Fig. 3!, is a transverse sertion taken upon plane of line l r l- 1g. 3, 1s a like transverse se tion upon the same plane, showing the l all'hoard in its retracted position; Fig. 4. is an enlarged detail view of one end ol the medial alinement guide; Fig. I, a similar view showing a modification.

'lhe figures show my improven'ient as applied toa l'althoard eonsisting of a rear section 0, to which a front fall a, is hinged in the manner Hsltztl ii'i'folding fall-boards ol this class, although the invention is applirable. to other l'orms oi tall-boards slidable on end run ways. The main trouble with slidable l'all boards is that a. very slight deviation from perfect longitudinal alinement is sutlirient to make their ends bind or stir-k upon the run ways, ambagainst the sides of the ease, rendering the manipulation ol' the tall-board llllltllli, and musing delay and anuoyanreduringtheoperationsotopening or (losing the same, not to mention the w ar and st rain involved, and the danger of distorting or damage. l overcome this dil iulty by means of a cimtroller C, interposed bet ween the ways '11., 1/), ol' the l'all-board are slidably supported upon and between the side members of the on and between the side members oi the piano frame. This controller C, wnsists essentially ot an elongated U-shap d locker,

the horizontal member 0, of which is tull l l l t l l l l l i i t i upon which the ends T iive or pi crumed in or on the key bed b, or other stationary part or parts, as by means of the bearing caps b, 11, shown by way of illiis tration in the drawings,;.said horizonti member 0, being provideyl-withrocker arms 0', c, the upper or fxtee odds of which engage articular-ly with the rear side of the fallboard.

The rocker arms a, 0', being rigid upon the horizontal or fulcrum member 0, and the object being to preserve the longitudinal alinement of the fall-board, it is obvious that the connection of the rocker arms 0', c, therewith must not interfere with the movement of the fallb0ard horizontally on its end ways '10, w, and this result is obtained by either bitureating the ends of the rocker arms a, c, and having them straddle coupliirc parts on the back of the fall-board as indieat ed in Fig. :3, or by providing the back of the fall-boa rd with vertical grooves a a, for the reception of pins or projections 0 on the rocker arms a, c", as in the first four tigures of the drawings. In either case the result is the same in that the rocker constituted by the horizontal member 0, and arms 0', 0', while permitting the free movement of the tall-board laterally in either direction upon and parallel to the ways w, w, nevertheless etteetually controls the fall-board at two points of its length intermediate with relation o the ways w, 10, thereby insuring the perfect alinement of the fall-board longitudinally and keeping the ends thereof parallel with and upon the said ways 10, to, so that pinching or binding, or excessive t'rietional contact is rendered impossible. The lateral play of the fall-board is limited by stops s, or equivalent means. plieity of my parallel controller contributes to its. ellieiency and adapts it for use Where eroiwnrv of spare is a desideratum.

i am aware that the rear portion of a fall board has been pivot ally suspended upon a wire, as in Letters Patent 802,757,1n1t in my deviee the tall board is not pivotally suspended or supported, but rests and slides bodily upon and parallel to the ways w, w. l urth rmow my guiding rock lever is situated beneath the tall board and the connection therewith is not strictly speaking posirotal, otherwise the tall board during movement wt-nld be raised from the end ways. whirh l obtiate by a pinands-tlot coniu't'tioli between the transverse arms of the I'Ut'k lever and the rear of the fall board by The sim eitherof the alternative methods shown in the drawings.

What I claimas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. The combination with a piano fall board, of end Ways on the pianoframe supporting said fall board, and an intermediate alinement-controlling guide consisting of a rocker fulcrumed on the key bed parallel to the length of the fall board and formed with laterally projecting arms having pin-andslot connection With the rear of the fall board, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a piano fall v board, of end iva-ys 0n the piano frame supporting said fall board and upon which it is transversely slidable, and an intermediate elongate U-shaped rocker the central part of which is fulcrumed below and parallel to the length of the fall board, the lateral arms of said rocker having pinand-slot connection with the rear of the fall-board, for the purpose set forth.

PAUL M. ZEIDLER. 

